RALEIGH — Weather permitting, work will begin next week on an N.C. Department of Transportation project to replace the Pine Ridge Road bridge over Jakesville Creek in Lexington.

This project is part of the department’s overall bridge program to improve the condition of the state’s bridges. Built in 1958, the existing bridge is reaching the end of its life cycle and needs to be replaced to meet current and future traffic demands. The new bridge will accommodate all traffic, including trucks and emergency vehicles, as it will not be subject to the load restrictions of the current bridge.

The new bridge is expected to be complete by Saturday, May 10.

On Monday, Jan. 20, crews will close Pine Ridge Road just east of the intersection with West Center Street Extension. The road will remain closed to through traffic during construction of the new bridge. Local traffic will be able to access homes and businesses from either end of Pine Ridge Road, but will not be able to pass beyond the closure points on either side of Jakesville Creek.

Motorists traveling through the area will use Arnold Road and West Center Street Extension as the signed detour route. NCDOT encourages motorists to pay attention, obey the posted speed limit, and allow extra time to reach their destinations safely.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.